Do Parents Tend to Favour their Youngest Child?

in #kids7 years ago (edited)

IMG_0850.jpg

Favourite Child

The other day I read an article about youngest children being the favourite child. It’s an unscientific survey - http://www.theweek.co.uk/92286/parents-tend-to-favour-their-youngest-child-survey-finds - but more than half (56%) of parents with a favourite say it’s their youngest child (26% say it’s their oldest). A total of 61% said their favourite child is “easy” compared with their siblings.

2017-12-28 11.54.45.JPG

Youngest children are sometimes a bit spoilt

From my experience I don’t think that the youngest child tends to be the parents favourite child. However I have noticed that youngest children are sometimes a bit spoilt....and it's not just the parents that spoil them! The youngest child is always seen as small and cute, sometimes years after they have stopped being small and cute! I remember still feeding my youngest sister when she was 7 years old! She’s 13 years younger than me and I still think she’s small and cute. My youngest sister also didn’t help out with household chores that much since my and my middle sister were pretty much on top of it. The rigid rules that my parents set for me and my middle sister became way more relaxed for my little sister, and she broke most of those rules anyway.

2017-12-27 21.04.25-1.JPG

My youngest asks for a chocolate biscuit and gets one

With my kids, I can see that the youngest does get a lot of attention in the form of hugs and kisses and everyone marvelling at all the cute stuff she does. If she wakes up from her nap and everyone is eating chocolate biscuits she asks for a chocolate biscuit and gets one (even though she didn’t eat a sensible lunch because she slept through it). My youngest sleeps in a cot right next to our bed but always wants to come and sleep in our bed at some point in the night. I'm so tired these days and can't be bothered to insist that she sleeps in her own cot. Plus I secretly love it because she's so small and cute!

2017-12-25 11.48.52.JPG

She is left to entertain herself

But equally the older kids demand a lot of attention and often do activities that the youngest can’t join in with. The youngest is often dragged along to her sisters swimming lessons and left to entertain herself while I help the older two with their homework. On more than one occasion I have plonked a plate of food down in front of my youngest (she’s one and half) but forgot to feed her as I got distracted with sorting out quarrels between the older two. By the time I remembered to feed her I realised that she’d fed herself and was actually pretty good as using cutlery. The youngest has also devised her own way of getting attention in a noisy household. She’ll shout out “Mama” or “Dada” or “Didi” and then starts whacking that person to get their attention. It a system that works.

FullSizeRender (1).jpg

And my favourite child is.....

My point is that the baby of the family doesn't actually get all the attention but she's trying her best to carve out her own place in the family. Luckily (by grace of God) she is pretty easy going and a fun little character which I have to admit adds to her charm. But who knows how her personality will develop. She may be a nightmare teenager! If I had to honestly say who my favourite child is I would say that it varies day by day. Whoever is being more thoughtful and sweet on that particular day is my favourite. And whoever goes to the bathroom and brushes their teeth without me telling them five times! In all seriousness though, everyday I find out something amazing and adorable about each one of them. I love them all the same, I like different aspects of their personalities, I understand each of their challenges. And I want to help each one of them become the best version of themselves.

MummyImperfect x

Sort:  

as the oldest sister in the family, I definitely think my brother is a little spoilt (the youngest kid) :)

I'm also the eldest sister in the family....I always claimed that the other two were spoilt!...even though my dad probably spoilt me as I was the eldest.

Hi @mummyimperfect firstly as the youngest child (of 6) in my family family i feel compelled to take exception. :)
HOWEVER
I can certainly attest that my own youngest does seem to get what she wants far more frequently than my eldest. (because its easier than arguing).
Have a great day!

Lol!
Sounds familiar! I think I'm just too tired now as a mum of three that I think I'm doing well if I've kept all of them fed and alive, I let the little things go more these days.....and the youngest probably takes full advantage of that!

Isn't that the truth!
I don't think that i will ever feel "not-tired" again.

Favoritism is such a crazy topic when it comes to family. I'm not sure what it's like to have a favorite child, but I do know what it's like to pick favorites in general. Seems like balance is key :) Great read!

Yes it's all about balance.
Thanks for reading :)

That’s my last story I read for tonight because I remembered you as well.
So sweet your girls!
I wish I would have more than one.....my #1 girl is super spoiled:)
🌺

Thanks for reading @mammasitta hope you are well.

Nice post, amazing ,,
I'm from aceh, visit my blog and flbck me please ..
thank u..

I will respond both positively and negatively to this subject area
It actually depends on the family and sometimes which of the parent. Although, it is really wrong having a favourite child and worse still is showing the act of favouritism on a particular child before his siblings.
Now to the last child been the tender cute fellow...He/she gets the last love and sometimes the biggest share of love which if depicted intensely is wrong.
I am the last child and am happy my parents never showed any favouritism or preference to any of us.
Preferential care to a particular child will portray jealousy and hatred amidst children of same parent.
Encouraging children to be hardworking and reducing petting should just be the right step towards adequate parenting to last child too..

You make some good points. Myself and my husband gave the same attention and affection to all of the kids but the main difference is that the youngest has 4 other people in the house to give her that affection.
I'm determined to make sure she does her fair share of the chores in the house.

And yes if parents do secretly have a favourite child they should never show it.

I have read also a lot about that.
So I don't know but I am excited to see this topic in my family.
Right now I have one child but we hope that the next will come soon :)

Thanks for reading :)

I have to thank you :)

Among us 4 siblings, the youngest is definitely the "chosen one". Problem is, he's 27 now and still doesn't have an inkling how the real world works because our mom kept him in a bubble.

Lol! Yes I know a few youngest kids like this!
I'm determined to make my youngest get involved in chores etc and teach her responsibility just like her sisters.

Interesting.

As a middle child, I was kind of taken for granted in a way. Not in a bad way - just I was kind of independent and gentle. Apparently I never caused any trouble so I was just left there to be. My younger brother, who's the youngest, was definitely spoilt compared to the rest of us. He got a way with a LOT more than the rest of us could ever have. I think it was partly because my parents felt he needed some protection from the bigger kids :)

So was he spoilt? Yes for sure. Favourite? It's hard to say.

An independent, gentle middle child?....sounds a lot like my husband!
Yes parents do baby the youngest kids quite a lot...and let them get away with a lot! I think it's partly to do with the fact that by the time the youngest comes around they are too tired to reinforce rigid rules and just go with the flow a bit more.

Awwww.... that's such a touching post. I am the elder one. I can relate very much with it and remember my old times !! Makes me emotional.

Nice pose. Upped :)

And Thanks for ur support :)